Devices, methods, and systems for occupancy detection

ABSTRACT

Devices, methods, and systems for occupancy detection are described herein. One device includes instructions to receive an image of a portion of a facility captured by an imaging device, the image defined by a field of view, and set a first occupancy detection threshold for a first part of the field of view and a second occupancy detection threshold for a second part of the field of view.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/194,759, filed Nov. 19, 2018, which is a continuation of co-pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/462,215, filed Mar. 17, 2017, nowU.S. Pat. No. 10,152,628, issued Dec. 11, 2018, which claims priority toEP Application No. 16162101.6, filed Mar. 23, 2016, all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to devices, methods, and systems foroccupancy detection.

BACKGROUND

Facilities may employ occupancy detection. Occupancy detection may beused in security and/or energy management, among other contexts.Detecting occupancy may involve the use of imaging sensors, forinstance, which may be used to detect movement.

However, because imaging sensors operate to detect movement, previousapproaches may falsely declare an area of a facility vacant if a subject(e.g., person) moves to a location within the facility where they cannotbe seen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for occupancy detection in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an image of a portion of a facility captured by animaging device in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates the image shown in FIG. 2 with the identification ofareas of interest in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Devices, methods, and systems for occupancy detection are describedherein. For example, one or more embodiments include receiving an imageof a portion of a facility captured by an imaging device, the imagedefined by a field of view, and setting a first occupancy detectionthreshold for a first part of the field of view and a second occupancydetection threshold for a second part of the field of view.

Occupancy detection in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure can include the identification and/or distinguishing,within a video image, of an “area of interest” during the process ofcommissioning an imaging sensor. Then, the area of interest can be givendifferent treatment with respect to occupancy detection than other(e.g., non-interest) areas. It is noted that more than one area ofinterest can be identified by embodiments herein and different occupancydetection treatments can be applied thereto.

In some embodiments, the area of interest can correlate to a window ofthe facility, where occupancy detection can be inhibited. In someembodiments, the area of interest can correlate to a doorway, wheredetection sensitivity and processing priority can be increased. In someembodiments, the area of interest can correlate to an area capable ofoccluding a subject (e.g., an area capable of being visually occluded byan object, and hereinafter referred to as an “occlusion area”).Occlusion areas may be given different treatment with respect tooccupancy detection in that they may be assigned a particular time delayallowing a subject to reappear therefrom.

In some embodiments, identifying an area of interest can be doneautomatically (e.g., without user input). That is, embodiments of thepresent disclosure can identify an area of interest from observing aparticular portion of a facility over a period of time and determiningmovement patterns therein. In some embodiments, a user can define anarea of interest (e.g., using a display device). In some embodiments,user input(s) may be used in conjunction with automatic identification.

Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure can avoid issuesassociated with falsely determining an area of a facility to be vacantwhen a subject moves to a location where they cannot be seen. Inaddition, embodiments of the present disclosure can pay specialattention to areas of ingress and/or egress (e.g., doors) to enhanceoccupancy detection. Further, embodiments of the present disclosure caninhibit or reduce detection in some areas where occupancy detection isundesirable and/or unnecessary (e.g., windows). Embodiments of thepresent disclosure can thereby increase occupancy detection accuracyand/or effectiveness.

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The drawings show by wayof illustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure may bepracticed.

These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those ofordinary skill in the art to practice one or more embodiments of thisdisclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may beutilized and that process changes may be made without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments hereincan be added, exchanged, combined, and/or eliminated so as to provide anumber of additional embodiments of the present disclosure. Theproportion and the relative scale of the elements provided in thefigures are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the presentdisclosure, and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the firstdigit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and theremaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing.Similar elements or components between different figures may beidentified by the use of similar digits.

As used herein, “a” or “a number of” something can refer to one or moresuch things. For example, “a number of subjects” can refer to one ormore subjects.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for occupancy detection in accordancewith one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG.1, system 100 includes an imaging device 104, a computing device 106,and a display 108.

In some embodiments, the imaging device 104 can be a video camera. Theimaging device 104 can be an electronic or digital camera that operatesto capture images (e.g., video images, videos, etc.). In someembodiments, the imaging device 104 can be secured at a fixed position.That is, the imaging device can be configured to capture images of overtime from a same position and at a same viewing angle. An “image” asused herein, can refer to a single frame of a video image and/or tomultiple frames of a video image (e.g., a video).

The imaging device 104 can include an imaging sensor. The imaging sensorcan include a charge-coupled device (CCD) and/or a complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) device, for instance, thoughembodiments herein are not so limited. The imaging sensor can include aplurality of pixels arranged into rows and columns, for instance. Theimaging device 104 can be in communication with the computing device 106and, in some embodiments, can be controlled thereby.

The imaging device 104 can be configured to detect motion. Motiondetection can include changes in light intensity over pixels of theimaging sensor and/or positional changes of contrast gradients. Theimaging device can operate to capture images in one or more wavelengths(e.g., visible light, infrared, etc.). It is noted that methods and/ordevices used to detect motion are not intended to be limited herein.

As shown, one or more devices of the system 100 can be located in afacility 102. The facility 102 can be and/or include a structure. Forexample, the facility can be a plant, a warehouse, an office building, arefinery, a laboratory, etc.

The imaging device 104 can be configured to capture an image (e.g., avideo image) of a portion of the facility 102. The portion of thefacility 102 can be a room, for instance, though embodiments of thepresent disclosure are not so limited. For instance, the portion can bean open space, a part of a room, the entirety of the facility, or someother area. In some embodiments, the imaging device can be located inthe facility 102 (e.g., on or near a ceiling of the facility 102), whilethe computing device 106 and/or the display 108 are located outside thefacility 102 (e.g., at a location remote with respect to the facility102).

The computing device 106 can be, for example, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, or a mobile device (e.g., a smart phone, a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a tablet, etc.), among other types of computingdevices. As shown in FIG. 1, the computing device 106 includes a memory110 and a processor 112 coupled to the memory 110. The memory 110 can beany type of storage medium that can be accessed by the processor 112 toperform various examples of the present disclosure. For example, thememory 110 can be a non-transitory computer readable medium havingcomputer readable instructions (e.g., computer program instructions)stored thereon that are executable by the processor 112 to detectoccupancy in accordance with one or more embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

The memory 110 can be volatile or nonvolatile memory. The memory 110 canalso be removable (e.g., portable) memory, or non-removable (e.g.,internal) memory. For example, the memory 110 can be random accessmemory (RAM) (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and/or phasechange random access memory (PCRAM)), read-only memory (ROM) (e.g.,electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) and/orcompact-disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), flash memory, a laser disc, adigital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disk storage, and/or amagnetic medium such as magnetic cassettes, tapes, or disks, among othertypes of memory.

Further, although the memory 110 is illustrated as being located in thecomputing device 106, embodiments of the present disclosure are not solimited. For example, the memory 110 can also be located internal toanother computing resource (e.g., enabling computer readableinstructions to be downloaded over the Internet or another wired orwireless connection).

The display 108 can be a user interface (e.g., screen), for instance.The display 108 can be a touch-screen (e.g., the display 108 can includetouch-screen capabilities). The display 108 can provide (e.g., displayand/or present) information to a user of the computing device 106.Though not shown in FIG. 1, the display 108 can be a computing deviceanalogous to the computing device 106, previously described (e.g.,including a processor and a memory). In some embodiments, the display108 is a mobile device (e.g., smart phone, personal digital assistant(PDA), tablet, etc.).

The computing device 106 can receive information from the user of thedisplay 108 through an interaction with the user via the display 108.For example, the computing device 106 can receive input from the uservia the display 108. The user can enter inputs into computing device 106using, for instance, a mouse and/or keyboard associated with computingdevice 106, or by touching the display 108 in embodiments in which thedisplay 108 includes touch-screen capabilities (e.g., embodiments inwhich the display 108 is a touch screen).

FIG. 2 illustrates an image 214 of a portion of a facility captured byan imaging device in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, the image 214 can be a frame ofa video image captured by an imaging device (e.g., the imaging device104, previously discussed in connection with FIG. 1). The image 214 canbe displayed by a display (e.g., the display 108 previously described inconnection with FIG. 1).

As shown in FIG. 2, the image 214 can be taken from an imaging devicelocated on a ceiling of the portion of the facility. The image 214 candepict a vertically-downward view of the portion of the facility. Theimaging device can be a wide-angle imaging device configured to capturethe image such that the entirety of the portion of the facility isimaged. In some embodiments, the imaging device can have a fisheyeand/or 360-degree lens. The image 214 is defined by a field of view 216.Though a substantially circular field of view is shown as field of view216, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to aparticular imaging device, and similarly not limited to a particularfield of view.

As shown in FIG. 2, the portion of the facility shown in the image 214is a room having four walls: a wall 218-1, a wall 218-2, a wall 218-3,and a wall 218-4 (collectively referred to herein as “walls 218”). Forpurposes of clarity, the portion of the facility shown in the images ofFIGS. 2 and 3 is referred to as a “room,” though, as previouslydiscussed, embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited.

The wall 218-1 of the room includes a door 220. The door 220 can be aportion of the room allowing entry into the room and/or exit from theroom. Though one door is shown, embodiments herein are not limited to aparticular number of doors. The wall 218-3 of the room includes aplurality of windows 222. Though three windows 222 are shown,embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to a particularnumber of windows. In the room is a subject (e.g., a person) 224 and anocclusion object 226. In the example images shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, theocclusion object 226 is illustrated as a rectangular file cabinet forpurposes of illustration. As referred to herein the “subject” is acollection of detected contrast changes that may indicate the presenceof a person (or other entity for which occupancy is to be determined).

Occupancy of the room (whether the room is occupied by a subject) can bedetermined based on movement within the room. That is, determinedmovement within the room indicative of a subject can result in adetermination that the room is occupied. Occupancy detection canadditionally include the determination of a number of subjects withinthe room. One or more thresholds associated with what constitutesmovement and/or what constitutes non-movement can be set (e.g., via acomputing device).

As previously discussed, embodiments of the present disclosure caninclude the identification of one or more areas of interest within aportion of a facility imaged by an imaging device. An area of interest,as referred to herein, is an area where a desired approach to occupancydetection may be different from another area (e.g., an area that is notan area of interest and/or a different area of interest). That is, anarea of interest can be first part of the field of view 216, and anotherarea can be a second part of the field of view 216.

As discussed further below, reducing and/or increasing occupancydetection for an area of interest can include reducing and/or decreasinga threshold associated with determined movement. In some embodiments, athreshold for motion sensitivity can be increased and/or decreased. Thatis, a first occupancy detection threshold can be set for a first part ofthe field of view (e.g., the area of interest) and a second occupancydetection threshold can be set for a second part of the field of view(e.g., an area outside the area of interest). In some embodiments, atime threshold for movement and/or non-movement can be increased and/ordecreased.

In some embodiments, an area of interest can be an area where occupancydetection is undesirable and/or where a reduced level of occupancydetection is desired. For example, occupancy detection may beundesirable in areas defined by the windows 222 because motion may beundesirably detected outside the room. In another example, an areadefined by a height in the room greater than a particular height (e.g.,eight feet) may be deemed to be less likely to depict movement of asubject than an area less than that height.

In some embodiments, an area of interest can be an area where anincreased level of occupancy detection is desired. For example, an areaaround the door 220 may be an area of interest in that motion near thedoor 220 may be indicative of a subject entering or exiting the room andthus bear directly on occupancy of the room. In another example, an areadefined by a floor of a room may be an area of interest in that movementnear the floor may be indicative of a subject moving in the room, whilemovement on a tabletop and not on the floor, for instance, may be lessindicative of a subject in the room than of papers blowing due to abreeze. In another example, an area associated with (e.g., near and/oraround) an object capable of occluding a subject may be an area ofinterest in that if the subject moves behind the object, motion may notbe detected though the subject remains in the room.

In some embodiments, an area of interest can be identified automatically(e.g., without user input). For example, edge detection can be employedto distinguish walls, floors, corners, doors, windows, and otherfeatures of a room. In another example, an area of interest can beidentified by observing the room via the imaging device over a period oftime and determining movement and/or occupancy patterns therein.

In some embodiments, a user can define an area of interest using animage of the room (e.g., image 214). In some embodiments, user input(s)may be used in conjunction with automatic identification. An area ofinterest can be defined using information in addition to image(s)captured using imaging devices. For example, building informationmodeling (BIM) data can be received to enhance information gleaned fromone or more images of the room.

FIG. 3 illustrates the image 314 shown in FIG. 2 with the identificationof areas of interest in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The image 314 is analogous to the image 214illustrated in FIG. 2 in that the image 314 is defined by a field ofview 316, and depicts a room including the walls 318, the door 320, thewindows 322, the subject 324, and the occlusion object 326.

As shown, areas of interest have been identified within the image 314.As previously discussed, the identification of areas of interest can bedone with or without user input. In some embodiments, automaticidentification may be employed (e.g., using edge detection) to identifyareas of interest based on a shape of the room.

In some embodiments, a user can “draw” or “paint” a free-form area ofinterest onto the image 314 using a touch screen display (e.g., thedisplay 108). The area of interest can be displayed as it is drawn(e.g., in real time). In some embodiments, a user can utilize a mouse,keyboard, or other input device to create the area of interest. In someembodiments, user can manipulate and/or edit an identified area ofinterest using a touch screen and/or input device. In some embodiments,a list of selectable shapes can be provided for creating and/ormodifying an area of interest. In some embodiments, a user can selectand reposition portions (e.g., vertices) of an area of interest. Thearea of interest can be displayed using a particular color, gradient,line style, and/or combination of different display techniques.

Though areas of interest are not intended to be limited by the presentdisclosure, a number of examples are discussed herein for purposes ofillustration. For instance, a height area of interest 328 is shown as anarea of the image 314 corresponding to an area of the room below aparticular height. The boundary of the height area of interest 328 canbe defined as a height above which subject movement is determined to bebelow a particular level of likelihood. Embodiments of the presentdisclosure can determine the height area of interest 328 by one or moreof the methods previously discussed. For example, the height area ofinterest 328 can be determined by receiving information (e.g., BIMdata), edge detection, monitoring the room for a period of time usingthe imaging device and, for instance, determining that motion above theheight area of interest 328 may not be indicative of occupancy, and/oruser input of the height area of interest 328.

Regions of an imaging sensor can be associated with areas of interest.That is, a particular number, location, and/or configuration of pixelsof the imaging sensor can be associated with an area of interest. Aregion of an image sensor associated with the height area of interest328 (e.g., that detects motion in the height area of interest 328) maybe configured differently than another region that detects motionoutside of the height area of interest 328. Motion may be “ignored” whenit occurs outside the height area of interest 328 as it may bedetermined that such motion is not indicative (or less indicative) ofoccupancy as it occurs at too elevated a height. That is, in someembodiments, a threshold for what is determined to be motion may beincreased outside of the height area of interest 328 compared withinside.

A floor area of interest 330 is shown as an area of the image 314corresponding to an area of the room substantially equivalent to an areaof the floor (e.g., overlapping the floor). Embodiments of the presentdisclosure can determine the floor area of interest 330 by one or moreof the methods previously discussed. For example, the floor area ofinterest 330 can be determined by receiving information (e.g., BIMdata), edge detection, monitoring the room for a period of time usingthe imaging device and, for instance, determining that motion above thefloor area of interest 330 may not be indicative of occupancy, and/oruser input of the floor area of interest 328.

A region of an image sensor associated with the floor area of interest330 (e.g., that detects motion in the floor area of interest 330) may beconfigured differently than another region that detects motion outsideof the floor area of interest 330. Motion may be “ignored” when itoccurs outside the floor area of interest 330 as it may be determinedthat such motion is not indicative (or less indicative) of occupancy assubjects tend to contact the floor. That is, in some embodiments, athreshold for what is determined to be motion may be increased outsideof the floor area of interest 330 compared with inside.

A window area of interest 332 is shown as an area of the image 314corresponding to an area of the room substantially equivalent to an areaof windows in the room (e.g., overlapping windows of the room).Embodiments of the present disclosure can determine the window area ofinterest 332 by one or more of the methods previously discussed. Forexample, the window area of interest 332 can be determined by receivinginformation (e.g., BIM data), edge detection, monitoring the room for aperiod of time using the imaging device and, for instance, determiningthat motion in the window area of interest 332 may not be indicative ofoccupancy, and/or user input of the window area of interest 332.

A region of an image sensor associated with the window area of interest332 (e.g., that detects motion in the window area of interest 330) maybe configured differently than another region that detects motionoutside of the window area of interest 332. Motion may be “ignored” whenit occurs in the window area of interest 332 as it may be determinedthat such motion is not indicative (or less indicative) of occupancybecause that motion may occur outside the room. That is, in someembodiments, a threshold for what is determined to be motion may beincreased inside of the window area of interest 332 compared withoutside.

A door area of interest 334 is shown as an area of the image 314corresponding to an area of the room substantially equivalent to an areaof a door in the room (e.g., overlapping a door of the room).Embodiments of the present disclosure can determine the door area ofinterest 334 by one or more of the methods previously discussed. Forexample, the door area of interest 334 can be determined by receivinginformation (e.g., BIM data), edge detection, monitoring the room for aperiod of time using the imaging device and, for instance, determiningthat motion in the door area of interest 334 may be indicative ofoccupancy, and/or user input of the window area of interest 334.

A region of an image sensor associated with the door area of interest334 (e.g., that detects motion in the door area of interest 334) may beconfigured differently than another region that detects motion outsideof the door area of interest 334. Motion may be given special attentionwhen it occurs in the door area of interest 334 as it may be determinedthat such motion is indicative (or more indicative) of occupancy becausethat motion may be subjects entering or exiting the room. That is, insome embodiments, a threshold for what is determined to be motion may bedecreased inside of the door area of interest 334 compared with outside.

An occlusion area of interest 336 is shown as an area of the image 314corresponding to an area of the room associated with the occlusionobject 326. As previously discussed, the occlusion object 326 is anobject capable of occluding the subject 324. That is, the occlusionobject 326 can be an object behind which the subject 324 is occluded.For example, the occlusion object 326 can be a machine, a structure, avehicle, etc. The occlusion area of interest 336 can be an areasurrounding (or partially surrounding) the occlusion object 326. Theocclusion area of interest 336 can be adjacent to the occlusion object326. In some embodiments, the occlusion area of interest 336 can overlap(or partially overlap) the occlusion object 326. In some embodiments,the occlusion area of interest 336 may not overlap (or partiallyoverlap) the occlusion object 326.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can determine the occlusion areaof interest 336 by one or more of the methods previously discussed. Forexample, the occlusion area of interest 336 can be determined byreceiving information (e.g., BIM data), edge detection, monitoring theroom for a period of time using the imaging device and, for instance,determining that motion in the occlusion area of interest 336 may beindicative of occupancy, and/or user input of the occlusion area ofinterest 334.

In some embodiments, the identification of the occlusion area ofinterest can be determined automatically based on the nature of themovement of the subject 324. That is, if the subject 324 is known to bemoving at a particular speed and “disappears” at a similar rate from oneof its edges; such a scenario is distinguishable from another scenarioin which the subject 324 simply stops moving. The subject 324 is, forinstance, unlikely to “fade” into the occlusion area of interest 336;rather, the subject 324 is more likely to walk into the occlusion areaof interest 336.

A region of an image sensor associated with the occlusion area ofinterest 336 (e.g., that detects motion in the occlusion area ofinterest 336) may be configured differently than another region thatdetects motion outside of the occlusion area of interest 336. Motion maybe given special attention when it occurs in the occlusion area ofinterest 336 because that motion may be subjects that are about to beoccluded by the occlusion object 326. That is, in some embodiments, athreshold for what is determined to be motion may be decreased inside ofthe occlusion area of interest 336 compared with outside.

In some embodiments, the occlusion area of interest 336 may be assigneda particular time delay allowing a subject to reappear therefrom. Thatis, if, under normal circumstances, for example, detected movement every5 seconds indicates occupancy, a region of the image sensor associatedwith the occlusion area of interest may be configured such that detectedmovement every 30 seconds indicates occupancy. Thus, rather thandetermining the room to be unoccupied when the subject 324 becomesoccluded, embodiments of the present disclosure can allow time for thesubject 324 to reappear.

Allowing the subject 324 to reappear can allow embodiments of thepresent disclosure to increase the functionality of one or more facilitysystems. Under previous approaches, when a subject becomes occluded,motion will not be detected and thus the room may be determined to beunoccupied. If a room is unoccupied, previous approaches may deactivatelighting in the room and/or activate a security system in the room. Incontrast, embodiments of the present disclosure may allow the subject324 to carry on without impediment.

Upon visualizing an area of interest using the display, a user candictate how the area is to be configured with respect to occupancydetection. As previously discussed, a threshold for motion detection inan area of interest can be set and/or adjusted (e.g., increased and/ordecreased). Setting and/or adjusting the threshold can include settingand/or adjusting a sensitivity of motion detection. Setting and/oradjusting the threshold can include setting and/or adjusting a timebetween motion detection events (e.g., threshold-exceeding detectedmotions) required for a determination of occupancy in a room.

The identifications of the area (or areas) of interest can be stored inmemory along with the occupancy detection settings (e.g., occupancydetection thresholds) applied thereto. Then, the imaging device cancapture a subsequent video image (e.g., after commissioning) from a sameposition and/or viewing angle. The different thresholds can be appliedto each area of interest, and to areas outside the areas of interest, inaccordance with their settings.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that anyarrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substitutedfor the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to coverany and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of thedisclosure.

It is to be understood that the above description has been made in anillustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of theabove embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically describedherein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing theabove description.

The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes anyother applications in which the above structures and methods are used.Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullrange of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are groupedtogether in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for thepurpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is notto be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of thedisclosure require more features than are expressly recited in eachclaim.

Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter liesin less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

What is claimed:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium havinginstructions stored thereon executable by a processor to: receive aplurality of images captured by an imaging device, the plurality ofimages having a field of view; displaying the received images on a touchscreen display; receiving a first user input via the touch screendisplay to define a first region of interest on one or more of thereceived images, wherein the first region of interest includes only aportion of the field of view and is defined by one or more boundaryvertices; receiving a second user input via the touch screen display toselect and reposition one or more of the boundary vertices of the firstarea of interest to redefine the first region of interest; and receivinga detected motion event when a motion is detected in the portion of thefield of view of one or more of the plurality of images that correspondsto the first region of interest that meets a predefined first motiondetection threshold assigned to the first region of interest.
 2. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein at least aportion of the field of view outside of the first region of interest isassigned a second predefined motion detection threshold that isdifferent from the first motion detection threshold.
 3. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the secondpredefined motion detection threshold is set so as to not detect anymotion events.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim1, further comprising: receiving another user input via the touch screendisplay to define a second region of interest on one or more of thereceived images, wherein the second region of interest is different fromthe first region of interest and is defined by one or more boundaryvertices; and receiving a detected motion event when a motion isdetected in the portion of the field of view of one or more of theplurality of images that corresponds to the second region of interestthat meets a predefined second motion detection threshold assigned tothe second region of interest, wherein the predefined second motiondetection threshold is different from the predefined first motiondetection threshold.
 5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 4, wherein the second region of interest overlaps the first regionof interest.
 6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1,wherein the first user input includes drawing on the touch screendisplay a free-form area that defines the first region of interest. 7.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 6, furthercomprising displaying the first region of interest in real time as thefirst region of interest is drawn.
 8. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising receiving viathe touch screen display a selection of one of a plurality of selectableshapes for creating and/or modifying the first region of interest. 9.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein thefirst region of interest is displayed using a particular color, gradientand/or line style.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the imaging device is a video camera.
 11. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the imagingdevice is a security camera.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 1, wherein the processor and the touch screen displayare part of a smart phone.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 1, wherein the processor and the touch screen displayare part of a tablet.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the instructions are part of an application programthat is downloadable to a smart phone and/or tablet.
 15. A system fordetecting motion events in a monitored area, the system comprising: animaging device having a field of view for capturing a plurality ofimages of the monitored area; a mobile device having a touch screendisplay; a computing device operatively coupled to the imaging deviceand the mobile device, the computing device configured to: receive aplurality of images captured by the imaging device; display the receivedimages on the touch screen display of the mobile device; receive a firstuser input via the touch screen display of the mobile device to define afirst region of interest on one or more of the received images, whereinthe first region of interest includes only a portion of the field ofview of the imaging device and is defined by one or more boundaryvertices; receive a second user input via the touch screen display ofthe mobile device to select and reposition one or more of the boundaryvertices of the first region of interest to redefine the first region ofinterest; and identify a detected motion event when a motion is detectedin the portion of the field of view of one or more of the plurality ofimages that corresponds to the first region of interest that meets apredefined first motion detection threshold assigned to the first regionof interest.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing devicefurther provides a notification to the mobile device of the detectedmotion event.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein at least a portion ofthe field of view outside of the first region of interest is assigned asecond predefined motion detection threshold that is different from thefirst motion detection threshold.
 18. The system of claim 17, whereinthe second predefined motion detection threshold is set so as to notdetect any motion events.
 19. A method for detecting motion events in amonitored area, the method comprising: receiving a plurality of imagescaptured by an imaging device, the plurality of images having a field ofview; displaying the received images on a touch screen display;receiving a first user input via the touch screen display to define afirst region of interest on one or more of the received images, whereinthe first region of interest includes only a portion of the field ofview and is defined by one or more boundary vertices; receiving a seconduser input via the touch screen display to select and reposition one ormore of the boundary vertices of the first region of interest toredefine the first region of interest; and receiving a detected motionevent when a motion is detected in the portion of the field of view ofone or more of the plurality of images that corresponds to the firstregion of interest that meets a predefined first motion detectionthreshold assigned to the first region of interest.
 20. The method ofclaim 19, further comprising: receiving another user input via the touchscreen display to define a second region of interest on one or more ofthe received images, wherein the second region of interest is differentfrom the first region of interest and is defined by one or more boundaryvertices; and receiving a detected motion event when a motion isdetected in the portion of the field of view of one or more of theplurality of images that corresponds to the second region of interestthat meets a predefined second motion detection threshold assigned tothe second region of interest, wherein the predefined second motiondetection threshold is different from the predefined first motiondetection threshold.